How can it be? (“Oh, it be!” you would say.) Fourteen years together, thirteen years since we married on Knottyhead Falls on the upper Nantahala River in North Carolina. Time truly does fly when you are having fun- and most especially when you are in love. We have experienced so much together; the highest highs of career and personal successes, the lowest lows of challenge- and everything in between; the loss of our mothers, a brother, some dear friends, and much-loved animals. Too many surgeries and more to come, wonderful trips to special places, so many dreams dreamed while sitting on the top deck or the sunporch with our pups, gazing at our beautiful view. We fit together like the most wonderful old pair of tennis shoes; deep, deep love and mutual respect wrapped up in the precious gifts of friendship and comradery.
Date nights in jammies by the fire or out on the decks, endless work on this old house we love so much. Music and laughter, yoga, pool volleyball, concerts, shows, and walks on the beach at sunset. Holidays, fun traditions we have created for our little family. Dogs, cats, and that pesky Charlie the squirrel that you do battle with to keep outside of our home. Ladders and tools, Minis and Bugs, lighting that makes Southside shine. One very special waterfall. Our life is a rich tapestry, every thread a thing of beauty.
When I first saw you at the Alys Stephens Center, me onstage playing with the ASO, you walking the balcony as Facilities Manager, I felt my heart smile. I knew from our first date that you were my twin flame, the reason I had come to Birmingham. You are a good man, kind, generous, warm, and loving, and every morning that I wake up next to you, I say a prayer of gratitude for another day spent being your wife. I think back on these fourteen years- truly the best of my life, and know that my love for you has only grown. “Comfortable and stable,” as Patañjali would have said…”in Sanskrit” (as Yoga Dan would say). I think of the future with you at my side, Mr. And Mrs. MacKenzie hand in hand, growing young together as the years pass, and my heart smiles again.
Happy Anniversary, my love!
The View from Here 